sīve (old orthog. SEIVE, Tab. Bantin. l. 6; and hence, by apocope, like neu, from neve, NEIVE). seu (the latter form very rare in Cic.; more freq. in Caes.; as freq. as sive in the poets), conj. [si-ve], a disjunctive conditional particle, or if = vel si.
I Put once, preserving the conditional signif. of the si (cf., on the other hand, infra, II. B. 2.).
A After a preceding si (mostly ante-class.): si vivimus sive morimur, Enn. ap. Prisc. p. 880 P. (Ann. v. 384 Vahl.): si media nox est, sive est prima vespera, Plaut. Curc. 1, 1, 4: si ista uxor sive amica est, Ter. And. 216: si nocte sive luce, si servus sive liber faxit, Rogat. ap. Liv. 22, 10: si arborum trunci, sive naves essent a barbaris missae, Caes. B. G. 4, 17 fin. : si ego volo seu nolo, Plaut. Cist. 3, 14: si movero me, seu secari sensero, id. Merc. 2, 2, 40: si speras ... seu tibi confidis, etc., id. Rud. 3, 2, 19; Val. Fl. 1, 837: si te, etc. ... sive haec, etc. ... seu, etc., Ter. And. 293.—
B Without a preceding si (rare): dehinc postulo, sive aequom'st, te oro, ut, etc., Ter. And. 190 (for which: peto a te, vel si pateris, oro, Cic. Fam. 9, 13, 3): bis denas Italo texamus robore naves, Seu plures complere valent, etc., Verg. A. 11, 327: me seu corpus spoliatum lumine mavis, Redde meis, id. ib. 12, 935; cf.: haec pars dialectica, sive illam dicere malumus disputatricem, Quint. 12, 2, 13: turdus, Sive aliud privum dabitur tibi, devolet illuc, Hor. S. 2, 5, 11; cf. id. C. 1, 6, 19.—
II Repeated, with a disjunctive sense predominant.
A Connecting words or phrases in the same construction. or conditional clauses which have the same predicate: sive (seu) ... sive (seu) (in good prose, esp. in Cic., usually sive ... sive; in Caes. often seu ... seu; after the Aug. period often sive ... seu, or seu ... sive); prop. if this or if that be the case, placing the counter propositions on an equality, be it that ... or that; if ... or if; whether ... or , i. e. in either case (the predominant use and signif. in prose and poetry).
1 In gen.: qui improbus est, sive subbibit, sive adeo caret temeto, tamen ab ingenio est improbus, Plaut. Truc. 4, 3, 59; so, sive ... sive etiam, Cic. Tusc. 4, 3, 6; Caes. B. C. 1, 27: sive quid mecum ipse cogito, sive quid aut scribo aut lego, Cic. Leg. 2, 1, 1: sive eum ex paludibus elicere sive obsidione premere posset, Caes. B. G. 7, 32: sive regi sive optimatibus serviant, Cic. Rep. 1, 35, 55: ex quo exardescit sive amor sive amicitia, id. Lael. 27, 100: sive tu medicum adhibueris, sive non adhibueris, id. Fat. 12 fin. ; cf. id. Fam. 12, 2, 3: sive sub incertas Zephyris mutantibus umbras, Sive antro potius succedimus, Verg. E. 5, 5: seu recte, seu pervorse facta sunt, Egomet fecisse confiteor, Plaut. Trin. 1, 2, 146; Caes. B. C. 3, 61: facilem esse rem, seu maneant, seu proficiscantur, id. B. G. 5, 31; 5, 51; 7, 36; 7, 89; id. B. C. 3, 79; Sall. C. 49, 4; id. J. 103, 2; Verg. G. 3, 49; 4, 25; 4, 33; id. A. 2, 62; 6, 881 al.: quantitas plerumque eidem subjacet, seu modi est seu numeri, Quint. 7, 4, 41: sive dolo, seu jam Trojae sic fata ferebant, Verg. A. 2, 34: sive deae seu sint dirae volucres, id. ib. 3, 262; 4, 240; 7, 199; Liv. 10, 14; Quint. 1, 5, 18; 1, 5, 35; 1, 5, 41; 2, 1, 11; 12, 10, 26: seu magni superas jam saxa Timavi, Sive oram Illyrici legis aequoris, Verg. E. 8, 6; so, seu ... sive, id. A. 1, 218; 10, 109; 11, 528; Ov. M. 4, 321; 4, 639; 15, 324 al. (In Caes. B. C. 2, 27, the MSS. vary between seu ... sive and sive ... sive.)—
2 Repeated several times: sive ancillam sive servum sive uxorem sive adulterum, Seu patrem sive avum videbo, Plaut. Am. 4, 5, 15 sq.; cf. id. ib. prol. 69 sq.; and id. Merc. 2, 2, 35: quibus (Cimmeriis) aspectum solis sive deus aliquis sive natura ademerat, sive loci situs, Cic. Ac. 2 ( Luc. ), 19, 61: seu furor est: habeo, quae carmine sanet et herbis; Sive aliquis nocuit: magico lustrabere ritu; Ira deum sive est: sacris placabimus iram, Ov. M. 10, 397 et saep. —
3 With a corresp. si : sive tu vatem, sive tu omen audieris; sive immolaris, sive avem aspexeris; si Chaldaeum, si haruspicem videris, si fulserit, etc., Cic. Div. 2, 72, 149.—
B Connecting complete conditional sentences, each with its own conclusion, but always implying that the alternative conclusions are alike steps in the general argument, if , on the one hand ... if , on the other , if ... but if : nam sive timuit, quid ignavius? sive meliorem suam causam fore putavit, quid injustius? Cic. Att. 8, 9, 3: sive enim ad sapientiam perveniri potest, non paranda nobis solum ea, sed fruenda etiam est; sive hoc difficile est, tamen nec modus est ullus investigandi, etc., id. Fin. 1, 1, 3: eis sive creditur, creditur hoc ipsum quod nos arguimus, sive fides non habetur, de adversarii testium fide derogatur, id. Caec. 1, 3; id. Tusc. 1, 18, 42: ut sive abstinuisset Epiro, integra sibi omnia essent: sive venisset, sic quoque spes veniae foret, Liv. 36, 6, 6 sq.; 36, 16, 10; 38, 3, 10; 37, 15, 2: eos seu dedi placeat, dedere se paratos esse, seu supplicio adfici, daturos poenas, id. 7, 20, 7; 27, 14, 1; 30, 40, 7.—
2 Instead of sive as a correl., sin or si vero is sometimes found: sive sensus exstinguitur ... quis me beatior? sin vera sunt quae dicuntur, migrationem esse, etc., Cic. Tusc. 1, 41, 97 sq.: sive enim Zenonem sequare, magnum est efficere ... si vero Academiam veterem persequamur, etc., id. Ac. 1, 2, 7: sive enim abscedant, cui dubium esse quin, etc.; sin autem manendum ibi nihilo minus sit, Liv. 37, 15, 2.—
3 In this use * si ... sive is found once: si omnes atomi declinabunt, nullae umquam cohaerescent, sive aliae declinabunt, aliae suo nutu recte ferentur, primum, etc., Cic. Fin. 1, 6, 20 B. and K.; cf.: si ... sive in one sentence, I. A. supra; and v. Madv. ad Cic. Fin. p. 45.—
C On account of the predominant disjunctive sense,
1 In the poets and in post-Aug. prose, instead of one sive , sometimes aut , vel , or one of the interrogative particles ne or an is used: (saxum) seu turbidus imber Proluit, aut annis solvit sublapsa vetustas, Verg. A. 12, 685: sive ... sive ... vel, etc., Flor. 4, 2, 79: misero conjux, fatone erepta Creusa Substitit, erravitne viā, seu lassa resedit, Incertum, Verg. A. 2, 739: sive fatali vecordiā an, etc., Tac. A. 11, 26; so, sive ... seu ... an, id. ib. 14, 59.—
2 Sometimes also sive stands alone in a purely disjunctive sense, = vel (in Cicero only in the phrases sive quis, sive potius, sive etiam): ut mihi Platonis illud, seu quis dixit alius, perelegans esse videatur, or whoever else said it , Cic. Rep. 1, 17, 29: quid perturbatius hoc ab urbe discessu, sive potius turpissimā fugā? id. Att. 8, 3, 3: te primum rogo, ut (animum) erigas ac resistas, sive etiam ultro occurras negotiis, id. Q. Fr. 1, 1, 1, § 4: Aristarchus et aetate nostrā Palaemon vocabulum, sive appellationem, nomini subjecerunt, Quint. 1, 4, 20: delectandi sive conciliandi officium, id. 12, 10, 59: miracula visa sive ex metu credita, Tac. A. 2, 24: proelium sive naufragium, Just. 2, 9, 20: Romana bella sive Asiana, id. 38, 3, 10.